Sydney's lockout laws have just been passed...and they start this weekend

UPDATE: It’s been confirmed this morning that the Sydney lockouts will not be enforced until the “end of April”, while the “one-punch” laws will be in place this weekend. More here.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s plan to rush his new restrictions on late night trading through parliament has succeeded. The legislation – which was only announced last week and will enforce 1.30am lockouts and 3am ‘last drinks’ in the CBD and Kings Cross precinct, as well as 10pm closing times for bottle shops and mandatory minimum sentencing for assaults under the influence of drugs and alcohol – was successfully passed tonight, News.com.au has reported.

The new laws will “make our streets safer,” said Premier O’Farrell. Greens and independent MP Alex Greenwich, who opposed the bill, said he was given a briefing from the government on their legislation an hour before the lock-out and mandatory sentencing bills were introduced. “Normal parliamentary process was abandoned to prevent scrutiny of the legislation and time for debate,” Greenwich said. However, the bill was passed with the support of the Opposition.

News.com.au reports that the new laws “are set to be enforced this weekend in Sydney”; no details have been revealed yet as to whether it will be a blanket ban on late trading in the defined CBD precinct (see below map).

The Sydney Late Night Culture Alliance has started a campaign to oppose the new laws; inthemix is hosting a Community Forum at the Metro Theatre next Monday February 3 to allow stakeholders to have their say.